Finally bought a vette
06-08-2014, 08:07 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Finally bought a vette
After years of research, looking, and dreaming, I bought my first vette yesterday. I started down this path several years ago. When I began I thought I wanted one of the chrome bumper C3s. After learning about them I decided I wanted something more comfortable and less pricey, so I started looking at the last couple years of the C3 generation.
I learned that these really wouldn't give me very good comfort or performance so I began looking at C4s. I was leaning heavily toward the LT1 or LT4 C4s, but every time I mentioned them to the wife she complained they looked too old. She wanted more modern. If I had gone with a C4, the price would have been low enough that I could have kept my current DD.
After a while I started looking at the early C5s as a way of appeasing the wife but keeping the cost down. I learned about the EBCM issues with the early C5s so I started looking in the 2001-2004 range. The prices of nice low mileage cars in this range would have resulted in me selling my current DD and driving the vette to work. That wasn't a bad option.
However, the wife was still complaining that the C5s looked old and kept lobbying for at least a C6. I spent some time looking at the difference between C5 and C6. I had decided C5s offered plenty of performance and the looks were fine. I did not feel I was giving up anything by going with a C5, and since she wasn't paying for the thing, he opinion wasn't the final choice.
Several weeks ago we drove a C6 coupe at a local dealer with the A6 transmission. We both like the lines of a coupe versus a vert when the top was up. However, we both also like verts and agreed that a vert was a better choice.
So, I spent more time researching what was available in the local market. Last Saturday we went to Charlotte and test drove a couple C5 and C6 verts. My goal for this trip was to confirm that a vert was the right choice and to compare driving a manual vs auto. The wife has never driven a manual but I thought I really wanted one.
The first dealer we visited had an 06 that was exactly what we were looking for except it was an A6. They also had an 05 M6 that was close, but we weren't crazy for the color. We started with the 06. A few minutes into the drive I was thinking an automatic transmission could be ok. Then I drove the 05. After about 3 miles I decided manual was the only acceptable choice.
The next task was to see if I could resolve the C5 vs c6 choice. My candidate list had us going to another dealer about a half hour from the first one to look at an 01 with an M6 transmission. However, it was part of the same owner network. The salesman said he would be willing to drive up to that dealer and get the car for us. He also offered to let me try an 03 that was very similarly equipped, but had higher mileage, to see if C5 would be ok. I took him up on his offer. I actually felt a bit more comfortable driving the C5 versus the C6, but decided either would be OK. I could tell C5 at that dealer had been driven hard, so it wasn't a candidate.
At this point, wife and I needed to discuss things. She was still lobbying heavily to get an auto C6. She thought we should just buy the 06 we drove first. I was leaning heavily toward manual and thought C5 would work just fine. I explained this to the salesman and we left. I wanted to go to another dealer on my list, but after making a stop to do something unrelated to cars, we were running short on time. The only place we would be able to go was the one with the candidate 01 M6, so we went there.
It was clear the car was in very good shape and had been well cared for. It had an aftermarket exhaust, and drove great. I was in love.
My only reluctance was the color wasn't exactly what we wanted, it was navy blue and we wanted a blue that was somewhat lighter, and there were a few cosmetic issues, poorly executed paint touchup on drivers door and cracks on the back edge of the passenger door from where someone had let it bang against something. We also still had the unresolved differences about C5 vs C6 and manual vs auto.
I spent a few days looking to see what else was on the market, thinking about the choices, and talking with the wife. By Wed I had decided if I was going to ignore the wife about the manual vs auto and C5 vs C6 and get what I wanted. If I could get the 01 at the right price, I would buy it. After some back and forth with the salesman I went up in the afternoon to buy it. During the checkout it showed signs of the EBCM issue. The salesman said he would take it to a Chevy dealer the next day to get it fixed and we went home.
This got me back into the mode of looking at other options. I still liked the car, but started wondering what else would go wrong with it. The salesman sent me an email at the end of the day Thursday saying they found nothing wrong with the car. I responded telling him I was concerned and asking who was going to pay for the repair if I bought the car and the problem returned. He countered on Friday by lowering the price enough to cover the repair if it showed up again.
I spent Friday evening and early Saturday morning thinking through this situation, but pouring through what else was available. There were a couple candidate cars in Atlanta, but they didn't have quite the right options. I knew I could be happy with the 01, but the cosmetic issues, not being our first color choice, combined with the EBCM error had me reconsidering it.
I was close to telling the salesman I would take it, but saw an 06 on the way to the beach that looked like a good candidate. It was about an hour further from home than where the 01 was, but my wife and daughters were headed right past it to spend the week at the beach. I was staying home because I don't have enough vacation time. I called the dealer to get information on the options. They said it had lots of options and when I got the list of codes, I knew I had to check it out.
So, I put off the decision on the 01 and drove 2.5 hours to the dealer. I had already decided if the 06 checked out and we could work out an acceptable deal, I was taking it. The price was already better than anything else in a 300 mile radius from home.
To make this long story not too much longer, the car checked out and I bought it. It's a very well optioned 2006 in LeMans Blue with Titanium Gray interior and Gray top. It's got an electric roof, 3LT package, and a few other options. The exterior is nearly perfect and the interior is in very good condition as well. Picture below:
I learned that these really wouldn't give me very good comfort or performance so I began looking at C4s. I was leaning heavily toward the LT1 or LT4 C4s, but every time I mentioned them to the wife she complained they looked too old. She wanted more modern. If I had gone with a C4, the price would have been low enough that I could have kept my current DD.
After a while I started looking at the early C5s as a way of appeasing the wife but keeping the cost down. I learned about the EBCM issues with the early C5s so I started looking in the 2001-2004 range. The prices of nice low mileage cars in this range would have resulted in me selling my current DD and driving the vette to work. That wasn't a bad option.
However, the wife was still complaining that the C5s looked old and kept lobbying for at least a C6. I spent some time looking at the difference between C5 and C6. I had decided C5s offered plenty of performance and the looks were fine. I did not feel I was giving up anything by going with a C5, and since she wasn't paying for the thing, he opinion wasn't the final choice.
Several weeks ago we drove a C6 coupe at a local dealer with the A6 transmission. We both like the lines of a coupe versus a vert when the top was up. However, we both also like verts and agreed that a vert was a better choice.
So, I spent more time researching what was available in the local market. Last Saturday we went to Charlotte and test drove a couple C5 and C6 verts. My goal for this trip was to confirm that a vert was the right choice and to compare driving a manual vs auto. The wife has never driven a manual but I thought I really wanted one.
The first dealer we visited had an 06 that was exactly what we were looking for except it was an A6. They also had an 05 M6 that was close, but we weren't crazy for the color. We started with the 06. A few minutes into the drive I was thinking an automatic transmission could be ok. Then I drove the 05. After about 3 miles I decided manual was the only acceptable choice.
The next task was to see if I could resolve the C5 vs c6 choice. My candidate list had us going to another dealer about a half hour from the first one to look at an 01 with an M6 transmission. However, it was part of the same owner network. The salesman said he would be willing to drive up to that dealer and get the car for us. He also offered to let me try an 03 that was very similarly equipped, but had higher mileage, to see if C5 would be ok. I took him up on his offer. I actually felt a bit more comfortable driving the C5 versus the C6, but decided either would be OK. I could tell C5 at that dealer had been driven hard, so it wasn't a candidate.
At this point, wife and I needed to discuss things. She was still lobbying heavily to get an auto C6. She thought we should just buy the 06 we drove first. I was leaning heavily toward manual and thought C5 would work just fine. I explained this to the salesman and we left. I wanted to go to another dealer on my list, but after making a stop to do something unrelated to cars, we were running short on time. The only place we would be able to go was the one with the candidate 01 M6, so we went there.
It was clear the car was in very good shape and had been well cared for. It had an aftermarket exhaust, and drove great. I was in love.
My only reluctance was the color wasn't exactly what we wanted, it was navy blue and we wanted a blue that was somewhat lighter, and there were a few cosmetic issues, poorly executed paint touchup on drivers door and cracks on the back edge of the passenger door from where someone had let it bang against something. We also still had the unresolved differences about C5 vs C6 and manual vs auto.I spent a few days looking to see what else was on the market, thinking about the choices, and talking with the wife. By Wed I had decided if I was going to ignore the wife about the manual vs auto and C5 vs C6 and get what I wanted. If I could get the 01 at the right price, I would buy it. After some back and forth with the salesman I went up in the afternoon to buy it. During the checkout it showed signs of the EBCM issue. The salesman said he would take it to a Chevy dealer the next day to get it fixed and we went home.
This got me back into the mode of looking at other options. I still liked the car, but started wondering what else would go wrong with it. The salesman sent me an email at the end of the day Thursday saying they found nothing wrong with the car. I responded telling him I was concerned and asking who was going to pay for the repair if I bought the car and the problem returned. He countered on Friday by lowering the price enough to cover the repair if it showed up again.
I spent Friday evening and early Saturday morning thinking through this situation, but pouring through what else was available. There were a couple candidate cars in Atlanta, but they didn't have quite the right options. I knew I could be happy with the 01, but the cosmetic issues, not being our first color choice, combined with the EBCM error had me reconsidering it.
I was close to telling the salesman I would take it, but saw an 06 on the way to the beach that looked like a good candidate. It was about an hour further from home than where the 01 was, but my wife and daughters were headed right past it to spend the week at the beach. I was staying home because I don't have enough vacation time. I called the dealer to get information on the options. They said it had lots of options and when I got the list of codes, I knew I had to check it out.
So, I put off the decision on the 01 and drove 2.5 hours to the dealer. I had already decided if the 06 checked out and we could work out an acceptable deal, I was taking it. The price was already better than anything else in a 300 mile radius from home.
To make this long story not too much longer, the car checked out and I bought it. It's a very well optioned 2006 in LeMans Blue with Titanium Gray interior and Gray top. It's got an electric roof, 3LT package, and a few other options. The exterior is nearly perfect and the interior is in very good condition as well. Picture below:
Last edited by piper_chuck; 06-08-2014 at 09:04 AM.
06-08-2014, 08:13 AM
#2
Safety Car
Congrats on the new ride, hope the wife is happy......LOL !
06-08-2014, 08:20 AM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
Other than the fact that it's a stick and she has no idea how to drive it, yes she's happy. I guess I have to look at it as a compromise. I spent more than planned for the more modern look she wanted, but got the manual that I wanted.
06-08-2014, 08:20 AM
#4
Team Owner
Wow that was quite a decision making process, Vette looks good hope everyone is happy. Is it an auto or did you get the manual you wanted.
06-08-2014, 08:38 AM
#6
Life Starts at 120 mph
Member Since: Jun 2012
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 1,535
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NCM Lifetime Member
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Congrats on the blue sled......Nice Color choice
Now take another picture of you and the ride, only this time smile
You look like someone just poooood on your picnic!
Now take another picture of you and the ride, only this time smile
You look like someone just poooood on your picnic!
06-08-2014, 08:46 AM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
The wife is happy about everything but the manual transmission. When we went out looking last Saturday, she started out totally against manuals. Both salesman we talked to told her manuals are really fun. The first one actually had her sit in the passenger seat and then drove the car around the lot without ever touching the gas pedal to show her that it's actually fairly easy to drive.
When we got back home to pick up our daughters from the neighbors they spent the day with, our neighbor also told my wife we had to get the manual. It was funny because her husband said he doesn't know how to drive a stick and doesn't want to learn, but his wife went on and on about how much fun they were. As we were leaving, another friend of my wife's was pulled over talking to her daughter so we stopped to chat with her. She said she was surprised we came home without a vette. Apparently my wife told all her friends I was looking. I told her about the manual vs auto dilemma and she said the same thing as the other neighbor, we HAD to get the manual. By this point I could tell my wife had accepted the inevitable and was starting to think about learning. Of course this didn't stop her from lobbying for auto up until the end.
Obviously, it's a manual.
06-08-2014, 08:49 AM
#8
Racer
Thread Starter
We'll probably go out today with the camera, shot that one with the phone, and get some better pics.
06-08-2014, 10:59 AM
#10
Team Owner
Smile next time. For a guy who just bought his first Vette you should have a smile from ear to ear. It's called permagrin.
06-08-2014, 11:21 AM
#13
Team Owner
Member Since: Feb 2000
Location: Conroe Texas
Posts: 35,254
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CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03,'04,'05,'07,08,'09,'10,’17
Great write up and good job of being methodical about your purchase. You definitely did your due diligence and wound up making the best decision. I purposely did not allow myself to see what was in the pic until I read the whole story. Didn't want to spoil the ending
Is ECBM = elec body control module = column lock issues ?
P.s. Welcome to Corvette Heaven.
Is ECBM = elec body control module = column lock issues ?
P.s. Welcome to Corvette Heaven.
Last edited by need-for-speed; 06-08-2014 at 11:24 AM.
06-08-2014, 11:51 AM
#14
Pro<br><img src="/forums/images/ranks/500-1000.gif" border="0">
I thought I did a lot of research before I bought my C6, but you did a little more checking and researching than I did. The C6 Corvette is a very nice car and you can look forward to years of enjoyment. Congrats on your purchase.
06-08-2014, 12:07 PM
#15
Instructor
Great write up and good job of being methodical about your purchase. You definitely did your due diligence and wound up making the best decision. I purposely did not allow myself to see what was in the pic until I read the whole story. Didn't want to spoil the ending
Is ECBM = elec body control module = column lock issues ?
P.s. Welcome to Corvette Heaven.
Is ECBM = elec body control module = column lock issues ?
P.s. Welcome to Corvette Heaven.
06-08-2014, 12:31 PM
#16
Racer
Thread Starter
06-08-2014, 12:35 PM
#17
EBCM or electronic brake control module is a common problem on the C5. It is responsible for your ABS and traction control. Part is no longer available. Some of the later ones (01-04) can be repaired depending on which error code. Total pain in the butt. You did the right thing going with the C6. Nice car. Congrats.
